Bruce Springsteen and the Promise of Rock 'n' Roll by Marc Dolan.

US$ 23.49

A vibrant biography of one of the greatest rock 'n' rollers, the America that made him, and the America he made.

Smart and incisive, this unique book takes us through Bruce Springsteen’s life by tracing the cultural, political, and personal forces that shaped his music. Beyond his constant stylistic adaptations, Springsteen developed over the decades from expressing the voice of a guy from working-class New Jersey to writing about the larger issues facing the country, including war, class disparity, and prejudice. Marc Dolan draws on a range of new and little-known sources—including hundreds of unreleased studio recordings and bootlegs of live performances—making this an indispensable reference for avid Springsteen fans as well as those interested in learning the stories behind his music. Combining political analysis, music history, and colorful storytelling, Bruce Springsteen and the Promise of Rock ’n’ Roll reveals how a gifted, ambitious community college dropout achieved superstardom—and spent decades refining what he wanted his music to say.

A Light That Never Goes Out - The Enduring Saga of the Smiths by Tony Fletcher.

US$ 23.59

They were, their fans believe, the best band in the world. Critics and sales figures told a similar story: six albums between 1984 and 1988 made number one or number two in the UK charts. Twenty-five years after their break-up, the band remain as adored and discussed as ever. To this day, there is a collective understanding that The Smiths were one of the greatest of all British rock groups.

The Smiths - Morrissey, Johnny Marr, Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce - were four working-class youths who came together, by fate or chance, in Manchester in the early 1980s. Their sound was both traditional and radically different, a music that spoke to a generation, and defied the dark socio-economic mood of the Thatcher years. By early 1984, barely a year after their first headlining gig, they were the hottest - certainly the hippest - name in modern music. In the years that followed the group produced an extraordinary body of work: seventeen classic singles, four studio albums, and some seventy songs composed by the team of Morrissey and Marr. Yet for all their brilliance and adoration - their famously energetic live shows routinely interrupted by stage invasions - The Smiths were continually plagued by their reticence to play the game, and by the time of 1987's Strangeways Here We Come, they had split. The Smiths have never played together again - their enormous contribution to pop culture forever condensed into a prolific and prosperous halcyon period, their legacy intact and untarnished.

Thirty years after their formation, twenty-five since they broke up, The Smiths' firmament remains as bright as ever. It's time their tale was told. Tony Fletcher's A Light That Never Goes Out is a meticulous and evocative group biography - part celebration, part paean - moving from Manchester in the nineteenth-century to the present day to tell the complete story of The Smiths. Penned by a contemporary and life-long fan, and the product of extensive research, dozens of interviews, and unprecedented access, it will serve to confirm The Smiths as one of the most important and influential rock groups of all time.

A Light That Never Goes Out - The Enduring Saga of the Smiths by Tony Fletcher.

US$ 23.59

They were, their fans believe, the best band in the world. Critics and sales figures told a similar story: six albums between 1984 and 1988 made number one or number two in the UK charts. Twenty-five years after their break-up, the band remain as adored and discussed as ever. To this day, there is a collective understanding that The Smiths were one of the greatest of all British rock groups.

The Smiths - Morrissey, Johnny Marr, Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce - were four working-class youths who came together, by fate or chance, in Manchester in the early 1980s. Their sound was both traditional and radically different, a music that spoke to a generation, and defied the dark socio-economic mood of the Thatcher years. By early 1984, barely a year after their first headlining gig, they were the hottest - certainly the hippest - name in modern music. In the years that followed the group produced an extraordinary body of work: seventeen classic singles, four studio albums, and some seventy songs composed by the team of Morrissey and Marr. Yet for all their brilliance and adoration - their famously energetic live shows routinely interrupted by stage invasions - The Smiths were continually plagued by their reticence to play the game, and by the time of 1987's Strangeways Here We Come, they had split. The Smiths have never played together again - their enormous contribution to pop culture forever condensed into a prolific and prosperous halcyon period, their legacy intact and untarnished.

Thirty years after their formation, twenty-five since they broke up, The Smiths' firmament remains as bright as ever. It's time their tale was told. Tony Fletcher's A Light That Never Goes Out is a meticulous and evocative group biography - part celebration, part paean - moving from Manchester in the nineteenth-century to the present day to tell the complete story of The Smiths. Penned by a contemporary and life-long fan, and the product of extensive research, dozens of interviews, and unprecedented access, it will serve to confirm The Smiths as one of the most important and influential rock groups of all time.

Dear Boy: The Life Of Keith Moon (Updated Edition) by Tony Fletcher.

US$ 14.29

RECORD COLLECTOR BOOK OF THE YEAR 1998: The Epic biography of rock's wildest superstar. Keith Moon was more than just rock's greatest drummer he was also its greatest character...and wildest party animal. Fuelled by vast quantities of drink drugs insecurities and confusion Moon destroyed everything with gleeful abandon: drum kits houses cars hotels relationships and finally himself. In Dear Boy Tony Fletcher has captured lightning in a bottle - the essence of a totally incorrigible yet uniquely generous boy who never grew up and who changed the lives of all who knew him. From a life distorted by myths of debauchery and comic anarchy Fletcher has created a searingly personal portrait of Keith Moon. From over 100 first-hand interviews he traces with deadly accuracy Moon's remarkable journey from his working-class Northwest London childhood through the Who's glory years to the California high-life and a sad premature death. Here too are fascinating insights into the history of the Who and the emergent British pop culture revolution of post-war years. Keith Moon was one of the shock troops of that revolution: the world's greatest rock drummer a phenomenal character and an extravagant hell-raiser who - in a final uncharacteristic act of grace - actually did die before he got old. Illustrated with many photos from personal and Who archives. This is the 2005 Updated version with a new and extended afterword.

Dear Boy: The Life Of Keith Moon (Updated Edition) by Tony Fletcher.

US$ 14.29

RECORD COLLECTOR BOOK OF THE YEAR 1998: The Epic biography of rock's wildest superstar. Keith Moon was more than just rock's greatest drummer he was also its greatest character...and wildest party animal. Fuelled by vast quantities of drink drugs insecurities and confusion Moon destroyed everything with gleeful abandon: drum kits houses cars hotels relationships and finally himself. In Dear Boy Tony Fletcher has captured lightning in a bottle - the essence of a totally incorrigible yet uniquely generous boy who never grew up and who changed the lives of all who knew him. From a life distorted by myths of debauchery and comic anarchy Fletcher has created a searingly personal portrait of Keith Moon. From over 100 first-hand interviews he traces with deadly accuracy Moon's remarkable journey from his working-class Northwest London childhood through the Who's glory years to the California high-life and a sad premature death. Here too are fascinating insights into the history of the Who and the emergent British pop culture revolution of post-war years. Keith Moon was one of the shock troops of that revolution: the world's greatest rock drummer a phenomenal character and an extravagant hell-raiser who - in a final uncharacteristic act of grace - actually did die before he got old. Illustrated with many photos from personal and Who archives. This is the 2005 Updated version with a new and extended afterword.

Deep Purple - Uncensored On the Record by Jerry Bloom.

US$ 3.79

This is a comprehensive in-depth exploration of the career and work of one of the worlds greatest hard rock bands.With the likes of Richie Blackmore, Ian Gillan and David Coverdale passing through their ranks, Deep Purple was always destined to produce extraordinary music - what was less predictable was in the incredible story of the bands formation, rise to fame and struggle to cope with the immense pressures of international superstardom. Jerry Blooms sparkling narrative tells the story, warts and all, and it leads us through the bands history with its many and varied line-ups.